Social gaming seems like something that's been around forever, and it is indeed if your definition of the phrase is to hang out with some friends and play Halo all night. But what "social gaming" means in 2011 is something different; these days, we're talking about integrating the social experience of the internet with everyday games, from iPad apps that tweet your high score to headset chat in the lobby of a shooter's multiplayer mode.

So why is it so important and potentially the future of game design? Well, in terms of designing art or products, persistent changes to culture are often reflected in the work produced during that era. Given that one of the biggest technological revolutions of the last hundred years has been communication, culminating (thus far, anyway) in the internet, online communication has become a major focus of many games designers.

It's certainly a logical idea - for example, partypoker benefits from the social functions of a chat room at a single poker table, and the aforementioned Halo allows people to have lists of friends to play with and chat to each other vocally as they attempt to beat the other team. Bringing a more human side to multiplayer gaming experiences has been crucial in hooking an audience whose social interactions now come through their computer the majority of the time, whether it's Twitter, Facebook, MSN or IRC.

The most exciting aspect of it is what the future holds - the iPad app Swords and Sworcery redefined how Twitter could be integrated into games, and the message system in Demon's Souls was a fantastic example of gamers doing what the newspapers claim they can't; being helpful, kind, and sociable, by warning others of dangerous monsters or hinting at nearby treasures.

Social gaming is definitely something that will come to define the future, and although concepts such as always-online DRM are pushing games design in an often controversial direction, it's where many developers should be focusing their energy. To the future!